Always Together
by The Labyrinths Scribe
Summary: Alternate S2. MA. Rewriting every episode in S2. Many more comprimising positions, crude-yet-oh-so-funny-humor, and best of all? Moments that will have MA shippers in tears. In the good way.
1. Designate This Part 1

A/n- I know that I REALLY REALLY shouldn't be starting another story…especially when I have 4 other stories to finish but…this idea popped up in my head and I couldn't resist.

**Summary:** Post Season 1. Starts off in the episode Designate This. The episode takes a different turn and Max and Alec get stuck together...Literally. Often. R&R please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel, wish I did, but I don't.

* * *

Max could have _screamed_ with frustration but decided not to, knowing that it would blow her cover. She had spent 2 months in Psy-Ops while they tried to 'reprogram' her. The past month wasn't much better. She had gotten out of Psy-Ops only to be thrust back into training, now believed to be 'Manticore' material again. Hmph. As if she would ever go back to that again! But for all intensive purposes she _was_ Manticore again, well for now. 

She had absolutely _no_ intentions to stay here. She trained harder than most X5's, and made it appear that she was just trying to catch up, which was partly true. Know your friends well; know your enemies like the back of your hand. She needed to know what her enemies knew to even stand a chance against the new updated versions in the X series. She caught on fast and found herself slipping, however unintentionally, back into the life of X5-452, Manticore's prodigy soldier.

She came up with a defense system against turning back into a soldier. She focused on her memories of her life outside Manticore and locked them in a solid steel vault that could only be entered if you had the pass code. She unlocked the vault at the end of every day to remind her of who she was and then she locked them up again just as quickly. Despite fooling Renfro when she had spent those 2 months in Psy-Ops the head scientist of Psy-Ops, Doctor Flag, insisted that she be brought in at the end of each week to make sure that she wasn't remembering anything she wasn't supposed to.

Things had been going well lately and Doc. Flag had deemed her a soldier again, saying that any more trips to Psy-Ops were unnecessary. She had even been put in a unit as SIC. Her CO was an _asshole_ but she and the others got along well enough, almost a little too well. She had unwillingly started making attachments to her unit members. They were a rather small, odd unit; all different ages and personalities.

The youngest member was X8-354 and she was about six. She had biggest cornflower blue eyes and blond ringlets that made a halo around her head. What made Max laugh the most was how _indignant_ she was about her age. She always insisted that she could do everything the others could, regardless of her size or age.

The next unit member was X6-583 who was about as quiet as they come. He was handsome and already 5 feet 9 inches despite only being 13 years old. He didn't talk much but he did smile occasionally and was usually the first one to go hostile if someone was getting picked on.

If there was ever an X5 who didn't like Max it was X5-929. She felt the Max was a traitor and should be in Psy-Ops because she believed that Max was trying to escape, not that she was far from the truth but Max couldn't afford to let her believe that. She had dark brown eyes with fire red hair that made her look like any typical 16 year old American teenager of Irish descent. She would have been perfect for undercover espionage if it weren't for the fact that the girl was _never_ happy. She never even tried to _act_ happy and that was the problem. She looked like all she knew how to do was scowl.

The last member, and CO, was X5-423. He was tall, well built, and a complete and utter _jackass_. Everyone in the unit, even 929, hated him and would have preferred Max as CO. His eyes and voice were as cold as ice, always. He never showed any emotion; not remorse when he had lost one of his unit members, not regret when one of his members was punished because of his mistake, nothing. He was completely…_hollow_. Max sometimes wondered what made him this way but could never bring her self to ask. As outgoing and brave as she was there was something about him that frightened her, something dark and mysterious that made Max sure she didn't want to know.

Today had been boring and pointless, thus far. She had done her drills, sparred with her CO, kicked her CO's _ass_ and went to meet with Renfro. The office was wide and spacious and Max couldn't help but notice Renfro's lack of taste.

Renfro approached her with a smirk on her face. "State your designation."

Max had been through this several times and had no trouble responding quickly and without thought. "X5-452, MA'M." Renfro looked at her for a moment and sighed, a smirk still evident on her face.

"You don't fool me, I know your just playing along. Come on, I want to show you something." She looked at Max once more and crossed the room.

A door opened to an observatory and Max choked on what she saw, though she gave no signs.

"Your brother Zack has been _so_ useful to us. His liver and kidneys went to an X5 wounded on a mission and his heart, as you know, went to you. I wanted to give you a chance to say good-bye, he's being moved to another facility; we have some _very_ interesting plans for him. One thing that is for certain, though, is that you are the reason he is there. Don't you see, 452? You're poison. You destroy everyone that you love; Zack, Ben, Tinga, and him…Eyes Only. Now, I know that you've had some kind of relationship with him and I know that you're hanging on to the idea that you're going to see him again. But that's not going to happen; he thinks you're dead which is why he's causing so much trouble for us. So we're going to find him,"

Max cut her off and said "You'll never find him."

Renfro continued "And we're going to kill him. You'll have nothing left and then, 452, you will be mine. Dismissed." Max walked out of the room, feeling devoid of emotions. She lay on her cot and became even more determined to leave, she need to warn him.

"Light's out. Light's out, 452."

Once the guard passed she worked hard to chisel the block underneath her cot. It wasn't long before she heard foot-steps coming and she quickly put the block back before they passed her cell. Yanking the cot back into place she lay down and quickly closed her eyes. She heard her cell door open and heavy foot steps approach her cot. Though the cell door had obviously closed she could tell that who ever had come in was still there. She kept her breathing steady and shifted a little in hopes that the creep would get the hint that she was asleep.

Despite all her years in training at Manticore and the 10 years on the outside that gave her street skills nothing could have prepared her for what happened next. She identified that who ever was in her cell was male and roughly about 185 pounds. Nothing, she deemed, she couldn't handle if things got rough. And they _were_ about to get rough alright, just not quite in the way that she thought.

If she was surprised when the stranger sat on the edge of her cot she was even more surprised when she felt a strong mouth on hers. Her eyes shooting open she shoved her unwelcome visitor off her cot and sat up. "What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?!" The man, whoever he was, stood with a smirk and said "I knew you were awake." Max hadn't looked at him till this point and when she did her heart stopped for a couple of seconds.

She was looking at Ben. She shook herself out of it by reminding herself the Ben was dead and even if he wasn't he certainly wouldn't have come into her cell and kissed her!

"Who are you?" Despite her anger towards him she couldn't help but feel just a _little_ curiosity. He looked at her and said "My designation is X5-494. You look like you've seen a ghost."

She sighed and murmured "Twinned… I knew your twin. His designation was X5-493." He frowned and said "Where is he now?"

Max felt her heart drop. "He's dead."

Looking down he said softly "I'm sorry. But what can I say? The dude went psycho! You know I had to spend 6 months in Psy-Ops too; they wanted to make sure it was genetic."

He continued "Well, we'd better get this over with."

Max stood and faced him, confused. He took his shirt off and threw it on her cot.

"What are you doing?" Max asked him, backing off a little bit.

He said "Well I guess you weren't warned. I'm your breeding partner. You and I are supposed to copulate every night until you get pregnant. Hurry up, princess, I don't have all night."

He moved toward her and she kicked him into the door.

"What the fuck was that?"

Smirking at him she said "The only kind of physical contact you and I are going to have."

He looked at her and stepped closer. "Oh, really?" He had her backed up against a wall now. He kissed her and Max knew she had to stop him. Trouble was, she didn't know if she wanted to…

The kiss seemed to last forever and Max, suddenly having an out of body experience, wrapped her arms around his neck. They parted after what seemed like hours, out of breath. Max felt a wave of confusion over her mind. There was _no way_ that she just did that… no chance. She tried to push him away but found that she couldn't. Her strength seemed to have just deserted her. He pushed her back against the wall and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned his face closer and Max found that she was having trouble breathing. He murmured in her ear "Tell me you don't want me, and I'll leave." Max opened her mouth but no sound came out. She tried again and found her voice, though stuttering. "I-I don't want you."

He smirked at her and said "Then I'll leave. But I'll be back tomorrow to complete the mission, 452."

As he turned to leave Max found her voice. "My name's Max. You should have a name too."

He rolled his eyes and said "I've already told you that my designation is 494."

She ignored him and said "I think I'm going to call you Alec; as in smart aleck."

He contemplated it and said "I could live with that."

She looked at him with a smirk, her confidence returning. "Good; 'Cause my second choice was Dick."

He laughed at her and moved closer again, his eyes filled with lust. He kissed her again and left the cell with a parting smirk. "See you around, _Max_." She stood there for several moment before finally murmuring under her breath. "I am _so_ screwed." Luckily for Max, however, X5-494 had a separate mission to accomplish so he did _not,_ in fact, visit her the next night and Max found her self relaxing a little bit more knowing that he wasn't there. She was also surprised when she realized that she was also, just maybe, a _little_ disappointed.

* * *

A week passed and she had officially caught up in her classes, she hadn't seen hide or hair of Alec or Renfro in over a week, _and_ she was almost ready to escape. She had met Joshua, a canine transgenic, a few days before and had almost finished sawing through the bars on the cell. She had been in a sparring session when she was called in to see Renfro. She sighed, knowing that good things tended to not last as long as you want them to. She stood at attention in front of Renfro and took notice of the smirk on her face, noting that it was just a little more _smug_ than usual. "State your designation."

"X5-452, MA'M." Max replied without missing a beat.

Renfro shook her head at Max and said "I apologize for not letting you and 494 get… better acquainted but I had a _very_ important job for him to do. Isn't that right, 494?"

She saw Alec step out of the shadows. "Yes, Madame X."

Max barely stopped her self from snorting at the new name Renfro had given her self.

Renfro smiled at her and said "I've made good on my word, 452. I promised you that I would find Eyes Only, your boyfriend, and kill him. Well, I kept it and another X5, 831, helped me accomplish it."

Max's breath caught and she forced her Manticore mask to stay in place.

"I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about, Madame X."

Renfro sighed and said "Always making thing's hard, Max… It's a wonder you don't turn people to stone. Well let's see here. Eyes Only, also known as Logan Cale. 25 years of age, glasses, dark brown hair with blond highlights, blue eyes, and enough computer equipment in his condo that it could have been a lab database. If that's not enough proof for you I also have pictures."

Renfro handed her a wad of pictures that were taken at different angles as if the photographer had been trying to decide how to better portray Logan's snapped neck.

Her mouth opened and closed several times before she threw the wad at Renfro's feet. "You sick bitch!" Her voice came out choked and tears pricked her eyes, no longer caring if they saw her weakness. She spun on her heel and exited the room. Marching her way back to her cell Max couldn't stop the tears, as hard as she tried.

She was still sobbing into her pillow when Alec entered the room. He looked at her before going into a slight shock. "Max, Max are you ok?" The tears came harder and Max shook her head 'no'.

Alec sat on next to her and pulled her into his arms. "It's ok, Max. It'll be ok."

She stopped crying and started panicking. "I have to get out of here… I can't stay here anymore." Alec stood and tried to calm her down.

"Max, I hate to break it to you but their not gonna let you just walk out of here."

She pushed him aside and pinned up her cot. Getting down on her hands and knees she pulled the bricks out and started to crawl through the small space.

Alec frowned at the hole and murmured "What the hell…? How long have you been at this, Max?" Getting no reply he realized that she had already gone through the hole. "Ah, hell… The things I do for this girl…" He muttered darkly before pulling himself through the hole. He dusted himself off and realized he was in a basement. He followed her scent trail and found her hacking away at the bars. He heard a growl come from behind him and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Acting like he wasn't too disturbed he said "Down boy."

"He can speak, you know. He's not retarded." Max said without looking at him.

Alec coughed and said "Yeah… Max, why do you want to get out of here so bad? I mean there's plenty to eat, a roof over your head; which is a lot better then most people have out there. And it's not like you have a boyfriend to go back to now." He winced at his harsh words but said nothing more.

She shook her head and replied "I spent half my life out there… I can't imagine not living there any more. Look, I want out of here and I can't do it alone. Will you help me?"

Alec held up his hands and said "Woah, Max, uh I'm not looking for trouble, which is exactly what your getting yourself into, not to mention the fact that you haven't even told me what I get out of the deal."

Max resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the selfish ass that was talking behind her.

"Look, Alec, you talk to me, right? You're my breeding partner. You've helped me catch up in the classes despite the attitudes of the others. Just by doing those things, and acknowledging that I exist, you've got trouble. Besides, I get out of here and you get a new breeding partner. Are you in, or do I have to K.O. your smart alecky ass?" She waved a file in front of his face for emphasis and he sighed before taking the file and saying "Move over."

A/n- This is just the beginning people so try not to judge me too harshly. Let me know what you think!


	2. Designate This Part 2

A/n- Hello people I'm back for an update! Hope you enjoy! Also, for anyone who's interested, I will be updating a Real Life Fairytale shortly. If you haven't read that one then I might suggest it, people seem to like it more than this one. Also ATTENTION DARK ANGEL FANS!!! Sci-Fi is having a DARK ANGEL MARATHON TODAY starting at 8:00 a.m. EST. TUESDAY, JULY 23. No joke. :D It's possible that Sci-Fi is bringing the show back so stay tuned for episodes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel.

Alec and Max had been at the bars for an hour but little progress was made. They had been arguing for the past half an hour and Alec was at the end of his rope; he was becoming more and more determined to help Max escape if only to get _rid_ of her.

He sighed and threw the file down, knowing that they were hardly going to get her out tonight with how much progress they had made. He looked over at the dog man that Max had befriended, Joshua, and had an idea.

"Hey, Josh, mind helping out a little?" The dog man sniffed at Alec's sarcastic tone.

"Sure." He stood, expectantly waiting for them to crawl down.

Max jumped of the boxes and backed away, watching him with hope.

Alec frowned as Joshua ignored the file that he was offering and moved as Joshua shuffled past him. Joshua put both hands on the bars and heaved.

Both Alec and Max felt their jaw's drop as they popped off their hinges.

Joshua gave Alec and slightly pointed look before saying "What's the plan, Max?"

She grinned at him and said "Don't leave yet Alec, I still need your help."

He looked at her grinning face and said "Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to like this?" Max smirked and Alec groaned, knowing that what ever Max had in store for him probably had something to do with him being held at gun point.

* * *

Alec blurred through the forest, purposely tripping the alarms in that section. He was going to kill Max for this. He heard the X-7's long before he saw them and he couldn't help but be just a _tiny_ bit afraid; they didn't take orders from anyone except Renfro and the directors. He had been running aimlessly for the past 10 minutes, dodging bullets, and ultimately trying to lead them away from Max. He felt his heart lurch when he realized that while he was occupied in his thoughts the X-7's had surrounded him.

He put his Manticore mask in place said in his angriest tone "What are you doing? She's escaping!" They looked at him in surprise and alarm.

"Hurry, before she reaches the fence!" He took off in the opposite of Max's direction and they followed him, blindly assuming that he was, in fact, trying to stop her. They hadn't gone far before they heard gun fire coming from behind them. They looked at him and back the way they came. He swore in a fake manner and turned to go the other way, lest they should think him an accomplice when he found 6 guns pointed directly at him with 6 kids looking at him in the most accusing glance that he had thought wasn't even possible.

He glared at them, still trying to keep his cover and thought 'Max, if you land me in Psy-Ops for this…so help me!'

* * *

Max wondered how Alec was doing with the X-7's. They were a tough bunch of brats; that much was for sure. She blurred through the forest and could see fence. She was in the home stretch and knew that once she was past that fence nothing would stop her. CRACK! A bullet shot passed her head and hit the tree beside her. Apparently Alec hadn't done his part well enough. She continued dodging bullets and was at the fence. She could hear more X-7's approaching, their guns locked and loaded. They fired at her and Max knew she couldn't dodge of all them. She heard a roar behind her and watched as Joshua came barreling out of the forest and took them out.

She jumped over the fence and started to take off down they road when she stopped. Turning she saw him standing there with wide, vulnerable eyes and Max knew she couldn't leave him there. She smiled at him and beckoned him over. He took of like a shot and jumped over the fence. She started running and Joshua stayed at her heels.

* * *

Alec stood at attention, waiting for Renfro's decision. The X-7's had filled her in on what they knew and thought to be true. She paced around the office and looked at him with unblinking eyes. "State your designation."

"X5-494, MA'M!" She nodded and sat down with her feet propped up on the desk.

"494, you are known to be the best of the best at Manticore so it make's me wonder why you would help her and jeopardize your station for her. Now the X-7's seem to be quite certain that you are an accomplice but all considering your history I feel the need to ask you directly. Were you helping her?"

Alec, not missing a beat, replied "No, Madame X. I arrived at her cell on time for our…'date' and she was absent. It didn't take much to notice a hole underneath her cot. I crawled through and found that it led into the basement. I followed a scent trail and found the bar frame torn from it's place, the bars having nick's and scratches where she had obviously been trying to file down. I saw her running into the forest and followed her, purposely tripping the alarms to alert the guards. She lost me in the forest and I unknowingly went in the wrong direction. The X-7's found me and followed me in the direction I believed her to be heading. I was obviously wrong about this when I heard gun fire coming from the opposite direction; by that time they had already thought me to be an accomplice."

Renfro nodded and said "I believe you, 494. And since you know her well by now I'm making it your mission to retrieve 452 and bring her back here in one piece, dismissed." Alec nodded and turned on his heel, striding out of the room. He thought to himself 'Sorry, Max. You've left me no choice.'

* * *

Max had smuggled Joshua into Logan's old apartment, knowing that it was safer for him there. Her heart lurched when she thought about him but she knew that she had to get over it if she was going to survive this. She showed Joshua around and walked over to the computer station. She looked at it sadly and snapped herself out of it, knowing that Manticore would be looking for her and she couldn't afford to not be on guard.

She glanced at the computer and saw that Logan had been about to broadcast. She watched the video and felt satisfaction sweep through her. Take _that_ Renfro! She hit the enter key and Eye's Only's last broad cast came on the air. She was saddened by Logan's death but knew that Renfro would torch Manticore and everyone inside and it was her job to save everyone. She told Joshua to stay put and left the apartment at fast walking pace.

She slid onto her viper and took off down the street.

* * *

Alec had made it to Logan's apartment just in time to see Max leave. He watched her go with determination and satisfaction etched into her features. He frowned wonder what she could be _so_ satisfying about leaving her dead boyfriends apartment. Seeing as it was his mission to retrieve her he could have easily shot a tire and taken the bike down without killing her but he couldn't help himself… he was curious.

* * *

Max arrived in the woods at Manticore's base and watched the guards loading into a helicopter. She blurred down to the fence and scaled it easily. She strode along the halls and took down anyone who crossed her path. She heard the fire alarms go off and knew that time had run out. Blurring down the corridors she entered the control center and took the guards out easily. Her analytical brain looked over every button and knob, discerning which one was the correct lever. She hit the button and watched as the barracks opened and a panic spread. She came over the intercom "Command at Manticore has been compromised. Your commanding officers are now ordered to take your units and go underground until a safe place can be determined. Do _not_, under any circumstance, take orders from Renfro or any of Manticore's guards. If they see you they _will_ kill you on sight. Run and don't look back. Peace, out."

She turned back towards the door and found Renfro leaning against the frame, a smug look on her face. "Well, well, if it isn't 452." She saw Renfro's hand twitch toward her coat pocket and blurred toward her, snapping the hidden gun out of her hand. Max looked at her in annoyance and said "This is your first and last warning, Renfro. Stop following me and let it go." She started to walk past her but Renfro stopped her short. "I can't let you go, Max. Your DNA; it's special. You have no idea how special it is." Max rolled her eyes and said "I don't care how special it is, you're still not getting your hands on it."

She almost walked past her when a guard from Manticore appeared in the doorway, took one look at Max, and fired on sight.

Max felt her self be pushed to the ground and her jaw went slack. Renfro had taken a bullet. The guard looked at her in horror and Max said "I won't tell if you won't."

The guard took off and Max looked at the dying woman in her arms. "You bit a bullet for me; why?" Blood was spilling from her mouth and Max couldn't make out her words. The only thing she managed to catch was "Find Sandeman." And then she died, right there in Max's arms.

Max laid the woman on the floor and got up to leave when the door swung shut. She pounded on it but it wouldn't come open. Smoke was filling the room now from the ventilation shaft and Max, as strong as she was, couldn't take it. Her choked gasps filled the room and Max fainted, her lungs no longer being able to tolerate the smog filling the room.

* * *

Alec frowned and hissed angrily. He saw Manticore burning and _knew_ it was Max's fault. He wanted to go down there and strangle her and was going to when he saw her head into the control room and open the barracks. Hmph. Taking down Manticore but freeing everyone else… maybe she wasn't _so_ bad. He saw the guard run out of the room and slam the door shut, locking it. The guard ran and he saw smoke peeling out from the bottom of the door. Panic seized him and he blurred to the room and rammed his shoulder into it. Nothing. He did it three times more and the door popped open. His eyes watered from the smoke and he saw Max lying on the floor, unconscious.

He picked her up and carried her bridal style out of the door, ignoring Renfro who might have been dead, and blurred into the woods. Someone had already forced the gates open which made things slightly easier. He took her to a hotel and checked in under the name of Alec McDowell. He needed, answers and he couldn't have her running off on him so he did the most logical thing to do at the time. He handcuffed her to him. 'See her run away _now_.' He sat himself on the bed and watched TV, waiting for her to wake up. It didn't occur to him later that the keys to said handcuffs were, in fact, at Manticore which had, in fact, been burnt to the ground.

And to top all that off…he _really_ had to piss. It never even occurred to him what Max was going to do to him when she woke up. But it did to someone who happened to be parked right out side…someone who was pissed as _hell_.


	3. SKIP ME

Hey guys, Lily here. I'm redoing this story for a better plot but I'm not going to delete it and start over; that would waste my time and the time you spent reviewing and/or adding to your alert list. Note: The whole being stuck together plot was alot funnier and more complete in my head but it got lost in the transition stage from thought to story so, sorry. But you'll like what this story will become, I promise. Lot's of Max/Alec mushy stuff. Lol. Pretty demented for the first couple of chapters though.

Hopefully i'll have the new version of the story today.

Thanks Guys,

Lily Verone


	4. Bag 'Em Part 1

A/N- Well guys, I was going to redo this story but… I'll post the next 'Episode' and see how it goes. A Real Life Fairytale will be the next to be updated. Please Review! Also: I'm sorry I didn't update sooner but high schools a bitch and im in all honors classes, AKA lots of home work. I've been forbidden from the tv/computer until Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel.

Bag 'Em

Max woke up and blinked tiredly. 'I'm still alive?' The last she remembered she had passed out from lack of oxygen in Manticore. Manticore! She sat up, still dizzy, and looked around in confusion. She seemed to be in a hotel room of some sort. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she shook her head and tried to clear her head.

She attempted to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear only to realize that, for some reason, her hand wouldn't be brought up. Glancing to her left, pouting slightly from disorientation, she was surprised to see Alec sleeping beside her. She moved her hand and found that the reason she couldn't move was because they were hand-cuffed together.

She felt her anger rise and diminish immediately. He had saved her life, after all. She sighed, giving up trying to be angry with the handsome angel from hell. She looked at his sleeping face and gently brushed his bangs out of his eyes. She shook her head of the thoughts and began to chew her way out of the cuffs, much as she had when Lydecker had betrayed and imprisoned her before. (Season 1: Cold Comfort)

She smiled when the cuff's fell off her wrist and she slid off the bed with ease. She sighed, wondering why he saved her but dismissing the thoughts immediately. Max knew there were things she had to do and she knew exactly how to get them done. But before she could even properly concentrate on her task she knew that she would first have to visit some old friends and make sure they were safe.

She blurred down the streets, a fast moving shadow in the dark. She arrived at her old apartment and felt nostalgic when she saw her bike sitting innocently in its parking space, looking like it had been washed recently. Cindy had never given up hope.

She walked the bike up the stairs and picked the lock, finding it amusing that she was picking the lock to her own apartment, and made a mental note to get a padlock.

She rolled it quietly into the living room and quietly opened the door to Cindy's room. Smiling, and maybe crying a little bit too, she looked at her sleeping friend and revved the engine on her bike. Cindy shot up from her sleep, instantly alert and gaping. "Max?"

Max grinned. "You miss me?"

Alec awoke with a start and rubbed his eyes wearily. He had been waiting for Max to wake up and a sat up slowly. He slide off the bed and trudged to the bathroom, still half asleep. He splashed some water on his face when it occurred to him that he shouldn't have been able to move from the bed without carrying Max. He looked at his wrist and saw his half of the hand cuff's and raced back to the room. She was gone.

There was a small piece of paper folded in halves on the bed side table. He unfolded it carefully.

_Alec,_

_I don't know what happened after I blacked out but I know that I couldn't have gotten out of there alive without your help, so thanks. I'm sorry about leaving so suddenly, without an explanation, but there are things I need to take care of first I'll come back within a few days, if you're willing to wait, though I doubt you will. If I don't see you again and you ever need a familiar face, look me up in Seattle._

_Max (Guevara)_

Alec frowned as he read through the letter, thinking to himself 'Wait? Not likely, Max.' But even as he thought this he knew he would wait, if only for an excuse to see her again. He had been on enough 'missions' that he could survive out here if he needed to but resolved that it would be easier to adjust if he had someone to cling to, in case he didn't understand something.

He sighed exasperatedly, flipped out his wallet, and grinned. If he was going to wait for Max, he was going to have fun doing it. And glancing out the cabin window, at the blond whore standing on the corner, he knew _exactly_ how to spend it.

Max knew she would have to go back sooner or later and that she would eventually have to face him again. She told herself that she didn't but she knew that it was all just a cover up for the fact that she had liked him, gotten attached to him, a little too much.

Cindy sat at the couch and took a deep breath. "Boo, where the hell have you been these past three months? What's the dealio?" Max looked at her friend, knowing that she owed her an explanation and that it was going to be a long night.

"Cindy… Do you remember, way back when Kendra lived with me, and after you and I broke out of jail, do you remember what I said about being a genetically revved up female? Well, I wasn't joking." Cindy frowned and Max cut her off. "Please let me finish this because if I stop, I don know if I'm going to be able to start again. In Wyoming there is a secret military facility that ran something called the 'Manticore' Project. In this project they altered embryos still in the womb to make them super human with super speed, strength, and enough military training to make them deadly. They experimented with these children, teaching them the art of military warfare. They eventually got in to mixing human blood with animal blood."

Max paused, her memories coming back to her. "The experiments that became… deformed were called anomalies. The ones that came out human became known as the X series. The children didn't have names… the base seemed to follow Hitler's idea; Numbers, not names. The first of the series, the X 1's, 2's, and 3's, were fairly primitive with limited abilities. By the time the X4's came out things had been figured out and they got a power boost but they didn't seem to last very long, like they had an expiration date. When they got to the X5's they had pretty much perfected it. Their abilities were limitless, their life spans longer, and they looked like perfectly normal humans. But they screwed up. The training they had us in was their downfall. The number one rule they taught us was to _never_ abandon your unit, because your unit was your family,"

Max recalled when she had been having a seizure, as a child back in Manticore, and they had tried to take her and Zack had defended her, even though Eva was shot.

"The seizures were one of our defects. When a child showed signs of having seizures, or actually had them, they were taken away and never seen again. I remember one of my unit members, he was new, just transferred, and as we were doing roll he had a seizure. They took him away and his cot was never slept in again. I followed them, after they took him, and found them using him for experiments. Breaking his arms and legs, so they could enhance the regeneration process; make us heal faster."

"It was when I, the baby of the unit, started having seizures that things got bad. As much as they hated doing it, my unit member's had watched other kids be dragged out of the barracks after having seizures and enough was enough. I had been suppressing my seizures to a little shaking when I couldn't suppress them anymore. They had been doing a routine check when I started having the seizures and fell to the floor. My unit member's crowded around me, trying to shield me from their view. It didn't work. They summoned the guards and tried to take me, just as they had taken the others."

"Zack took the guard out and the others went running for help. We ran along the hall ways we knew so well and tried to find a way out. We were met by a man named Donald Lydecker, the current director in charge. He shot my sister, Eva, as a warning. That was our first attempt at escape. And since the other guards didn't know which one of us was having the seizure's we were left alone. My seizures stopped for a short time and we bonded as a unit; gave each other names to make us seem more normal."

"When my seizures started again Zack said we had to leave. That they would take me if they learned about the seizures and, while we all loved each other very much, no one was quite willing to risk getting shot like Eva, for me. Zack was our CO, of sorts, and he said that we would do the same for anyone else and that, since all X5's seemed to be having seizures eventually, we had to leave before anyone else got taken away. I didn't want to escape. Not because I didn't want my freedom, but because I didn't want them to risk their lives for me."

"It was in 2009 that our plan came into action. We escaped and separated so that we would be harder to track. I've spent my whole life looking for them, Cindy. And I found a lot of them, though there are some of them I wish I hadn't found. We were given identifying marks; the barcode tattoo on the back of neck. We all have one with our designations on them."

Cindy sat still, listening intently and nodded. "Well I guess it makes sense how you always threw those thugs around."

Max smiled "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I thought that if some government guy showed up asking if you'd seen anyone with a barcode on the back of their neck you'd be able to say 'No' without lying."

Cindy nodded. "It's cool, boo."

Max continued. "I got recaptured a few months back when I went after my brother, Zack, and we burned the DNA lab so the bastard's couldn't keep bringing poor kids into the world. They killed Logan, OC." Her voice cracked and Cindy hugged her.

"Once the DNA lab burned down, Renfro, the bitch in charge, tried to cover up what happened by impregnating X5 females, to try and get as many children as possible."

"That's how I met the guy who helped me escape. He was supposed to be my 'breeding' partner. He was actually the twin of my brother, Ben, but with a totally different personality. I named him Alec, as in smart aleck, if that gives you any idea of his personality. Anyway, after I escaped I headed back to Logan's apartment and put out Eyes Only's last video bulletin which revealed the location of Manticore. Renfro torched the place with everyone inside. I made it back in time to open the barracks and free everyone but a guard shut the door on me and locked me in. I lost consciousness after smoke started filling the room."

"Then next thing I knew, I was in a hotel room with Alec knocked out beside me. I'm guessing he saved me and took me back to the hotel to keep under the radar. He had me hand cuffed, so I'm gonna say that he probably wanted to talk without me running off on him this time. Speaking of which, I have to go back. I left a note saying that I'd meet up with him."

Cindy nodded and hugged one last time. "Fine, but you better come back this time boo, or else Original Cindy gonna go bitch on his ass!"

Max laughed. "I'll be back this time, I promise!" She revved her engine and sped down the stairs and out on to the street, Cindy waving at her from out the window as the sun rose from the east.

Alec kicked his feet aimlessly on the bed while watching TV, a blond trailing her fingers up and down his arms beside him. She looked at his barcode and said "Is this some kind of gang thing?"

Alec laughed at her choice of words. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

She traced the barcode with her fingers. "How much do you cost?"

He waited until she left before murmuring "A hell of a lot more than you, sweetheart."

She came back and suddenly Alec felt disgusted with himself, Max had said she would come back for him and an explanation, and didn't want her to see him half naked with some leggy blond, for whatever strange reason. (cough cough) He took out his wallet and handed her a fifty. "Here, why don't you go get us something to eat at the general store." She nodded and pulled on her clothes, skimping across the street. He pulled his pants on and glanced out the window after she hadn't come back in fifteen minutes.

He saw 4 kids run across the street from the general store, food in their hands, and heard the manager yell something about thieving kids. He groaned as he recognized them. They had been in the younger X5 classes that he had trained once. He heard sirens wail and pulled on his shirt, muttering to himself. He heard a knock on the door and looked through the eye hole to see two police men, who he recognized as actual guards at Manticore, and saw the leggy blond standing in the background, watching with curiosity.

"Shit!" He cursed and wrenched open the back window, forcing himself through the tiny space. He landed on the ground without a sound and blurred a good 20 yards away, hearing the 'police men's' agitated shouts.

He glanced down at the ground and saw a singular piece of popcorn and an empty bag of chips, thrown carelessly on the ground. He shook his head murmuring under his breath "Damned kids…" As he followed the tracks he thought about what he had just done. He'd be considered an escapee for this, a traitor by any other name. He should have let them in and reported all he knew. But he didn't do it, couldn't do it, because Max had been right. Once you got a taste of freedom, you never wanted to have it taken away.

It was the ambrosia of life. He followed the trail of empty snack bags to an old barn.

As he stood in the doorway he heard the CO telling his unit members to save their rations. He barely stopped himself from snorting. Striding in the door, they were still unaware of his presence he cleared his throat and said in a sarcastic tone "Daddy's home."

They jumped up, fell into line, and saluted. Alec couldn't help but wonder to himself if he had been that brainwashed. The CO approached him. "Sir, we have seen the regroup signal and were set to follow it as soon as night fell, Sir." Alec wondered why the kid was telling him this when he realized that he still held some respect as a higher ranking officer and the kid was afraid he was going to be turned in.

"Calm down, son. I'm only going to say this once so listen well. That regroup signal you're seeing? It's a trap. If they see you they will shoot you one sight."

The boy frowned. "Sir, we are highly trained and valued soldiers, and they have spent over million's of dollars in government funding to create us, sir. They will not shoot us down."

Alec shook his head, wondering now more than ever if he had been this stubborn when Max convinced him that it was better out here. "Look, kid, you obviously don't get what I'm saying. They are trying to _kill_ you! And if you want to waste your life, fine. But don't be responsible for the death of your unit members."

The boy snorted. "They are hardly going to shoot us down, 494," Alec cringed at the use of his designation. "And seeing as you are also refusing to return I will have to report you for this, you will be no better than the 09'ers." Alec couldn't help it. He laughed. "The 09'ers, the traitors, did the smart thing and left before Manticore could take them down. And I think you'll find that Manticore no longer cares about whether we live or die, only that we keep our mouth's shut."

The boy ignored him and ordered his unit members to move out. The one lone X7 stayed where he was. Alec sighed and rolled his eyes, making him self comfortable.

Max returned to the hotel, glancing at the door, which had been kicked open, and at the numerous cops scurrying about. She frowned, knowing that Alec would never have been stupid enough to get caught. She saw the cops take a side long glance at her and she revved her engine and rode away slowly, pretending to be just another lookie-loo.

She looked up at the sun-set and frowned when she saw the signal for regroup and knew there was going to be trouble.

Following the signal she stopped her bike and watched the men on the bridge as a unit of x6s stepped forth. 'Bastards…' She thought and growled, thinking that her blowing up

Manticore didn't do anything at all! She watched the unit report and a handsome man nod his head, clearly the leader. He turned his back and Max gasped in horror as his men gunned down the kids and threw their bodies in the back of a van.

She felt sick as anger bubbled up inside her, like a volcano ready to erupt. She blurred through the forest, back to her bike and revved the engine, flicking her glasses on her face, and took off towards the bridge. Another unit came into view as they reported and she sped up, determined to save their lives. One man took fire prematurely and shot one of them in the leg. Max slid her bike across the bridge and took out the hit men, yelling over her shoulder "Run!"

She revved her bike and pulled the injured kid in front of her, following the others out of the forest and towards a barn. She helped the boy into the barn and groaned when she saw Alec. He looked surprised to see her and even more surprised to see the kids, which didn't sit well with her. He asked "What are you doing here?" and before she could have time to answer he glanced at the injured boy and directed his attention towards the kids. "I told you so." Max felt the words register in her brain and tried to calm her self down.

"What do you mean, _you told them so_?" He saw her jaw tighten and her eyes go a flame before realizing his slip-up and thought 'Uh oh.'


	5. SKIP ME 2

A/n- Well folks, I'm at an impasse. I will update all three stories over the next week or so but I need to know how you guys want this ordered; Real Life-1, Always Together-2, Alec McDowell Must Die-3.

You can write the titles in the order that you want (The first title being the first updated, obviously) or you can write the numbers (I.E., 2,3,1.)

I don't care which one you guys want me to update first (LIE!) and even if I did I wouldn't tell you which one because it wouldn't be fair (TRUTH).

So, I'm going to point out the good points to updating each story and you can decide which ones (Ones meaning characteristics of the story) are most important to you:

A Real Life Fairytale- Well, this one is due for an update to be sure and all you action/drama/angst lovers will LOVE the next chapter- almost guaranteed to make you want to A) Cry B) Kill me for leaving it where I did C) Kill me for killing off--I mean doing something very naughty­­­--and then bring me back so I could rewrite/fix my, erm, tragedy.

Always Together- Now, I know I updated this not too long ago but, aside from the whole ALWAYS TOGETHER theme and obviousness, I might add that this next chapter involves Max not only being captured by White (Like in Fox's Season 2) but also getting stuck with Alec while shes in heat. In a janitors closet. Catch my drift? One last thing- Every chapter of this particular story I get out, the sooner MY version of Gill Girl (AKA The episode where Max gives Alec a lap dance) will be out much sooner. Much more comical and…intimate than foxes version.

Alec McDowell Must Die- This is the one that was most recently updated but, really, does anyone need to ask WHY? Its definitely got the most humor out of all my stories so theres bound to be more laughs –Sneak preview includes a Jam Pony business meeting on Christmas Eve-in Vegas- in which Reagan Ronald meets with a new benefactor and brings Alec, Max, Cindy, and Sketchy to represent Jam Pony. Will also include Normal in thong and attempting to jump Alec. Gross- but funny enough to make you want to pee yourself- seriously.

Alright that's it, I guess. If you guys respond quick enough there will be a chapter out by tomorrow night! Have a merry Christmas everyone!


	6. Bag 'Em Part 2

A/n- Well, the one-shot helped a bit with the writers block so here's a chappie for ya.

Oh- question- I'm going to totally redo a Real Life Fairytale so while I'm revamping it, anyone have any requests they'd like to make about that story? ((If you review don't forget to review on this story too!!))

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel- If I did Max and Alec would have gotten together, a united transgenic army would totally kick ass and take names on the cult, Max and Alec would have a whole unit of kids, and the show would have lasted a hell of a lot longer.**

**Bag 'Em Part 2**

* * *

Max echoed him disbelievingly. "You told them so? What do you mean, you told them so? You let them go towards the trap?! What the hell where you thinking? Are you stupid? Did you get dropped on your head as child or what?"

She was furious, ready to rip him a new asshole, when a kid spoke up. "He told us not to go, M'am, but we couldn't believe that command would betray us so we went, M'am." She looked at Alec, still angry, but not nearly as angry as she had been. She turned her attention to the kids, particularly the injured boy.

She looked at the wound in his leg and hissed with sympathy before ripping open the pants leg. Alec immediately assessed the wound with a critical eye and pulled out his pocket knife. "The bullet went right through. We have to cauterize it."

His unit members held his head. "Hurry up Alec, he's going into shock." Alec waved the blade over the flame of a lighter. A unit member, a girl, took one look at the gruesome wound and turned her back "I think I'm going to be sick!" Alec, never losing his focus, tried to lighten the situation by joking "I bet that one flunked field-med."

Meanwhile, the boy's eyes dilated. "Hurry!" Alec finished sterilizing it and handed it to Max, moving to hold the boy down. Max spoke quickly "I'm not gonna lie to you, this is gonna hurt like hell." Max quickly pressed the red blade to the wound as the boy hissed and screamed through clenched teeth.

Alec held him down murmuring "It's going to be alright, just hang on."

Max handed Alec his blade. "It won't be if we don't get these kids out of here!"

Alec shook his head "Nuh-uh. This is your party, not mine."

Max snarled. "Party? You think this is a party? And need I remind you that if you'd tried a little harder he wouldn't have gotten shot in the first place?!" Alec opened his mouth to argue but chose not to, instead going over to a corner to sulk while Max played 'Hero'.

* * *

In the meantime, in a military camp not far from where they, a man was ready to have an apoplexy. "Let me get this straight. A girl on a motorcycle got the drop on you and all of your men." The handsome, intimidating man stood in front of the clearly disturbed, if not frightened, soldier.

The soldier replied "It's hard to explain, sir. It all happened so fast that-" the soldier was interrupted by a messenger. "Sir, we've found director Renfro's briefcase." With a nod from the man, the case was placed on the desk. The man opened it and skimmed through a folder. "Well, well. DNA of an X-5. Not bad looking, for a freak."

The soldier, who had been peering over the man's shoulder, said "Sir. Sir that's her, that's the girl on the motorcycle."

The man, his mood now clearly improved, asked "You're sure?"

The soldier replied in an indignant tone "Yes, sir."

The man spun to face the soldier, urgency written in his features. "Don't just stand there. Find her." The soldier left and the man dismissed the messenger, his attention now focused on the folder once more.

* * *

Max explored the rest of the rooms and found an old, beaten truck. "Excellent." If she could fix this up, maybe she could help the kids get to safety- at least away from Manticore. She returned to the room, Alec eating popcorn and sulking. "All right everyone, fall in." She commanded as she had heard Zack do several times in the past.

Much to her surprise, and underlying pleasure, they did as she ordered immediately. 'Huh. Did Zack always feel this powerful?'

"There's been a change in your mission status, extreme and unforeseen. You've been betrayed by your own command, what do you do?"

The replied as one. "Redeploy."

Max nodded. "Correct. How?"

The CO replied. "Unknown, M'am. We have no training in regard to that circumstance."

"Do you know what that means?"

They replied. "No, M'am!"

Max continued. "All your training goes out the window."

"Yes, M'am."

"Starting with your blind obedience to Manticore and everything it stands for."

"Yes, M'am."

Max paced in front of them.

"Which means your going to stop calling me m'am and start calling me Max."

"Yes, M'am."

"Yes, Max. That's my name." She corrected gently yet firmly.

Alec snorted softly in the background, still sulking.

"And now that you're in the real world, you should all have names too."

Alec let out an exasperated sound. "Oh, for the love of-"

Max half turned to him, where he was throwing pop-corn at an X7. "You don't seem to mind your name, _Alec_. Or would you prefer 494? I'm sure that when you try to get a job and you introduce yourself, they won't think you're odd or a nut job at all…"

Alec, who had been about to point out that she had given him his name and that he hadn't chosen it, wisely chose not to say anything. She was right, in a way. Introducing yourself as a number would probably get you thrown into jail or a nut house.

"You need to stop thinking of yourselves as soldier and start thinking of yourselves as people."

The leader interjected "But we are soldiers."

Max came to stand in front of him. "You mouthin' off to me? 'Because I have zero tolerance for that, zero! And to commemorate this special moment, that's going to be your name; zero,"

He remained silent and she continued. "Now get out on sentry duty."

He backed out of the room and did as she ordered.

She turned to a girl, clearly the SIC. "I saw you messing around with that radio there."

The girl nodded and stated proudly. "I excelled in diagnostics and repair. I was trying to fix it."

Max nodded thoughtfully. "Fixit, that'll be your name. And that's what you're gonna do with that old pickup over there; fix it." The girl smiled briefly before striding towards the truck to do as she was told.

Max moved down the line to stand in front of a pretty blond girl. "You're the girl that threw up." She stated gently.

Alec called out, interrupting her. "You could always call her Ralph."

The girl, seeing Alec, had a slightly dreamy smile on her face and Max desperately resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Ralph. I like it."

Max gave a small smile. "It's a boy's name."

Ralph frowned slightly. "I still like it."

Max smiled and nodded resignedly. "Alright, Ralph. Go take care of Bullet."

She cocked her head slightly. "Who's Bullet?" Her attention was still on Alec.

For a brief moment, Max was slightly worried she'd actually swoon.

"The kid that got shot." A look of recognition crossed her face as she ran to do as she was told.

The only one left, was a little boy with a Bugle tucked under his arm.

"That yours?" Max asked him.

He replied. "I'm in the bugle corp."

"Bugler it is."

"What's my assignment?"

"To get some rest."

He frowned. "It's not lights out yet."

Max shrugged. "It's ok; let's find some place for you to bunk down."

Max had begun to roll out some blankets she found when Alec called out. "What about him?" He said, pointing to a lone X7. "Doesn't he get name?" He continued throwing pop-corn at him.

Max, now thoroughly annoyed with him, replied. "I'll leave that to you since you two seem to be getting along so well."

He rolled his eyes and stood up, brushing himself off. He handed the pop-corn to him and said "You'll need your strength, soldier." before following Max out side.

Max relieved Zero of sentry duty and kept an eye out for soldiers. Alec came to stand next to her and was silent for a moment. "We never had talked."

Max shook her head. "No, we didn't. Thank you, by the way, for saving me."

Alec began to feel a little uncomfortable, what was supposed to be a serious talk was turning into a mushy moment that brought a whole tidal wave of feelings Alec _really_ didn't want to get hit with. So he said "What else could I do? There's a hot ass chick passed out in a burning building, what kind of knight-in-shining-armor would I be? And hell, the handcuffs plus a passed out hot ass chick just made my night."

Max smacked him in the arm but there was a smile on her face.

Softly, she asked "What are you going to do now?"

He didn't meet her eyes and kept himself focused on the tree-line, watching for movement. "I don't know. I was kind of hoping you would have an idea."

If Max was surprised that he had basically just told her that he put his life in her hands, she didn't show it. Instead, she said "Whatever you do, you can always look me up in Seattle."

And if that wasn't an invitation of sorts, Alec didn't know what was. It took Alec a minute to realize that they were kind of having a moment, in an odd sort of way. The easy banter, and the gentle way she spoke, told him that they probably weren't going to have many of these moments so he stayed quiet. He walked next to Max, matching her step for step, as they kept a look out for trouble. They didn't talk anymore, but they weren't uncomfortable- anything but, in fact.

If they had been walking like this down a street in any city, you might hear an older couple saying "Look at them, they remind me of how we were when we first met." Or "They make such a fine match." They weren't holding hands, and they didn't have lovey-dovey looks on their faces but anyone who was watching could tell; there was something there.

* * *

Else where, an SUV drove up to the gates of military encampment and the driver was greeted by a soldier with his hand out to stop him.

Lydecker exited the car and slammed the door shut. "Where's White?"

The soldier replied "Sir, this is a restricted area you're going to have to turn this vehicle-"

Lydecker flipped out his wallet and showed the soldier is ID. "Tell him Lydecker is here to see him."

The soldier nodded and said "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to wait-"

Lydecker cut him off again "Sorry, son, this is urgent." He barged past him and continued walking.

The Soldier immediately got on his comm. "Sir, there's someone here from Manticore, name's Lydecker."

While the soldier remained at the gate, Lydecker began rifling through the safe and the paperwork on White's desk.

Pulling open a CD case, Lydecker took it and put it in his pocket, continuing his search. He stopped briefly to look around and spotted the brief case sitting the chair. He opened it and took the database discs and put them in his pocket, grabbing the folder as well. He shut the briefcase with a snap and strode out of the tent.

* * *

White, accompanied by a unit of soldiers, was making his way toward his office. "He came here by himself? What the hell was he thinking?" The question was rhetorical and the soldiers knew him well enough not to supply an answer.

White pulled out his gun and entered the tent; it was empty. He glanced around his office and saw the briefcase sitting on his desk, where he hadn't left it. The soldier behind him saw the briefcase and realization crossed his face. With an angry snarl, he opened it to find it empty, as he had expected, and threw it at the wall. He strode out of the tent without another word.

* * *

Lydecker drove as fast as he could. He needed to get in touch with Max, but things were that much harder now that Logan was dead. He would have to get back home and get in touch with Zack.

"Satellite's in range, Sir." White stood and watched the sky as the signal began to flash.

* * *

Night fell and Max was somewhat reassured that the soldiers didn't know they were there. With a sigh, she and Alec returned inside. Max couldn't help but smile. The entire unit was huddled in one spot, sleeping soundly next to each other. Max remembered when her unit had been the same and smiled fondly.

Turning she realized that Alec was already asleep, and with the last blanket no less. She was exhausted and, at that particular moment, really couldn't give a damn about anything except sleeping in comfort. So she crawled under the blanket and found herself snuggling into his side for warmth, too tired to see his eyes open briefly and smile take over his face.

Morning came and, as usual, Max was the first to awaken. Her surprise came, however, when she realized that the sun was rising. She had actually had a natural good night's sleep. The only time she'd ever slept this long was through a drug induced sleep. Huh. Now that was something to think about. She struggled to get up and realized that her body was, in fact, entwined with Alec's. His arm was wrapped firmly around her waist, her right leg was wrapped around his and her left arm had slipped underneath his head was curled tightly around his neck.

Slowly, she began to unwind herself. Her leg came first, followed shortly by her arm. The trouble she was having now was how to get out from under his arm. She tried to gently pull it off, at first, only to feel it tighten. She struggled wildly, no longer caring if she woke him, when she stopped suddenly, realizing that he was undoubtedly awake and doing this on purpose. Well, fine. A little payback was necessary, then.

She stopped struggling and sighed before laying down and snuggling close again, her head resting in the crook of his neck. She could hear his heart beat pick up a little and had to stop her self from smirking. Keeping her breathing steady, her right arm curled around his neck as she pulled herself closer. She nuzzled him gently, purposely purring. She felt him shiver. Her right hand began to stroke his barcode and she felt him relax instantly. It was almost like when you hit the 'on' button on a remote and watch the TV light up.

Merely touching the barcode brought him to purring and relaxation. She would have liked to have continued and messed with him but her ears picked up sounds that were all too familiar with her. She could hear them moving, attempting stealth. Soldiers. Quickly abandoning reason, she bolted up into a crouch. Alec's eyes shot open and he was about to say something when he heard it too.

Max spoke to him quietly. "Wake the kids up. Get them into the truck and ready to go; I'll give you guys a signal when."

Alec nodded, and headed off to wake them.

Max did a perimeter sweep and checked through the windows; they were just now emerging from the tree line.

The kids were in the truck, Alec in the driver's seat. Max came around. "When they come in, hit the gas for all its worth. I don't care if you have to run them over, just get out. Stay together- keep each other safe. If you need any help, go to Seattle. I have a friend who works there; she'll help you. Her name is Cindy, Original Cindy. I work there too, if I'm not there, ask her."

They nodded. Several crashes could be heard and Max saw smoke from the doorway. "Smoke bombs… Alright, I'll keep them busy. Go!" Max blurred and hid behind an old-fashioned tractor.

Alec hit the gas pedal just as a soldier opened the barn door. Max attacked several soldiers, using the smoke to hide her self, who had been preparing to go after the truck.

A soldier cocked his gun and Max blurred out of the way as he fired. Sneaking up behind him, she delivered him a rough blow to the head blurring up the stairs and into the loft, hiding in plain sight. She waited patiently for her next chance to attack. Two unsuspecting soldiers were right under her, she leapt down from the loft and split-kicked both in the chest, knocking them to the ground.

More soldiers came running and Max knew she probably wouldn't be getting out of this; she had underestimated the size of their force. She drop kicked several soldiers and made a run for the door- she didn't make it. A soldier hit her over the head with an AK-47.

The soldier in charge took off his gas mask and pulled out his radio. "Foxtrot One to command, we have her Sir."

White's voice crackled over the radio. "Foxtrot One, could you repeat that?"

The soldier replied "Sir, we have X5-452."

* * *

Max awoke with a splitting head ache. She sat up quickly and looked around. She was in a cage in what looked to be an office. Great. Now she _really_ felt at home. She looked to her right and gasped sharply. She quickly apologized "Sorry, I didn't realize there was anyone else in here."

She looked him over without fear, knowing he was just another victim of Manticore. The lizard man, who looked like he had a little too much chameleon in his cocktail, just cocked his head. "You don't look so hot." He looked rather sick, in fact.

"You probably need some sun… Bet they had you all hooked up, back at Manticore. An empty barrack, all to your self."

He looked away and Max looked down to see a cockroach scrambling across the floor. She stepped on it. "Ugh, I hate those things." She looked up at him to see his eyes almost pleading with her.

"You…do you want it?" He made some clucking sounds and she picked it up, holding her arm through the slot. "I'll take that as a yes."

His tongue snapped out, and he caught it.

She smiled slightly. "Nice move."

His eyes looked past her and she spun around suddenly, seeing soldiers about to enter. Only one man, however, entered. He took off his glasses to reveal piercing blue eyes. Max would have thought him handsome, if she hadn't somehow known that he was the reason she was in a cage.

"Having a little family reunion?"

She mentally rolled her eyes; such a wit, he was.

"You must be the new bad guy in my life."

He looked at her threw the bars. "You know, 452, you're much prettier than in your picture."

"Gee, miss the old bad guys already."

"I had a chance to peruse the DNA work up done during your most recent stay at Manticore."

"Let me guess, my insurance didn't cover it and you want me to go out of pocket."

"Are you familiar with the term 'Junk' DNA?"

"The latest term for base pairs that don't contain any viable genetic information; doesn't do much more than fill space… Kind of like that gray squishy thing between your ears."

"Would you be surprised if I told you that you don't have any Junk DNA? It seems every single base pair is coded for some specific genetic purpose. Now the money question is; what does it mean? What is it that your genes are coded to do?"

"Kick ass mostly, after that I wouldn't know."

"Well," He smiled slightly.

"Not to worry. We're going to find out."

He walked out of the tent and left Max alone to register everything that he said.

* * *

Else where, the old truck was pattering down the road. Alec's face set into a grim, determined line.

Ralph spoke up "I can't believe we left her there. After all she did for us…"

Bullet shook his head. "She gave us a direct order."

Bugler interjected "She told me we didn't have to take orders from anyone, not even her."

Ralph said "That's good enough for me."

Zero and Fixit murmured "Me too."

All of them stared at Alec with imploring eyes. He refused to look at them; feeling their gazes was bad enough.

When he continued feeling their gazes on him he sighed. Without any warning he jerked the wheel and did a complete 180 on them, turning back the way they had come.

Later on, after night had fallen, they were all hidden behind some trees at the edge of the camp. Alec sighed again, wishing two things; One being the kids not caring about Max, and two being him not caring about Max.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

He took charge and led the way. A lone soldier was at the borderline, patrolling the area lazily.

Zero took him out silently, pushing a pressure point on his neck.

Fixit strode to an open back of a truck, where a generator was running. She quickly unplugged everything.

Ralph and Bullet took out two more soldiers, snapping their necks. Alec grabbed the gun and threw one to Ralph indicating to keep moving.

Alec rejoined the group and said "Alright, you've done your part. Get out of here; we'll meet you at the designated randevous."

* * *

Alec blurred through the camp shadows. He entered a tent and turned on the flash light on his gun.

"Alec!"

His flashlight found Max in the cage.

"To the rescue," He said smiling slightly.

He pulled out several lock picks. "Still want to kick my ass?"

"Maybe later, hurry up." He laughed quietly.

She exited the cage and he turned to leave. "Wait, him too."

He flashed the light on the cage next to Max's, where he was clicking softly.

"Are you kidding?"

She smacked him. "Do it!

She smiled at the lizard man and said soothingly "It's gonna be ok." the lizard exited the cage and ran towards the tent's back exit.

"You're welcome. Let's go!" Alec said urgently.

Max pulled him back again. "Wait. The laser show is still going. If you're gonna be a hero, you can't be half-assed about it. Let's go."

She turned and exited the tent from the front. Alec followed, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

There was only one soldier at the satellite center. "All those stars kind of make you feel small and insignificant, huh?"

He turned to her, his mouth open in surprise, when Alec came from behind and hit him over the head with a gun.

Max and Alec began typing in a new pattern for the laser.

* * *

Else where in the camp, White and his soldiers converged around an unconscious soldier.

White spoke into his radio "We've got a security breach. The perimeter's been compromised."

The head of the technician's team frowned, watching the laser in the sky.

White saw where he was looking and said "What are you looking at?"

"That's not the signal to regroup. It's the signal to scatter and go to ground."

White immediately turned on the radio. "White to all units- disable the signal now!"

Max and Alec waited a few minutes before Max said "It's done. Trash it."

They both stood back as Alec shot the equipment until it was no longer able to work.

A soldier had snuck up behind them and was ready to fire when the lizard man returned and took him out. Max and Alec turned in surprise. Max smiled and waved him over.

He began to walk when White and his men came from the side. White took aim and let off several rounds. The lizard man fell and Max gasped and tried to run to him. Alec held her back. "We gotta get outta here. Go. Go!"

They made a break for the tree line as White's men converged on the creature.

* * *

Early next morning, Max handed the kids their papers. "These should get you through any sector check points and into Canada safely." She hugged all of them briefly. "You'd better get a move on- it's not safe 'round here."

Zero asked "We ever going to see you again?"

Max smiled. "Promise. Stay together- I've spent years trying to find my family after we split up. Don't let it happen to you."

Alec rolled his eyes slightly.

"We have one last thing to do as soldiers."

Alec asked "And what's that?"

"Pay our respects to those who didn't make it. Attention!"

All filed in and stood at attention, their hands to the foreheads in a perfect salute.

Bugler began to play and even Alec was in line, his arm raised in salute. As he played, Max thought not only of the lizard man, but of the kids she'd seen die from following that retched signal and the ones she hadn't seen die, but knew had given their lives. Of Eva and Ben, of those who hadn't survived the fire in Manticore, of Tinga and Zack.

Max hugged them each one last time before walking over to Alec, who had stolen a car for the occasion. "If you ever need me, you know where to find me."

He nodded and gave a mock salute, thinking to himself 'I think I'm gonna wait awhile before I meet her again; all my trouble seems centered around her.'

She got on her bike and rode off, waving to them as she blazed down the rode.

* * *

'_I can't help but wonder if I'll see Alec again. I mean sure, he's a pain in my ass, but I kind of got used to having him around. The way he looked at me when I told him to look me up in Seattle tells me that he plans on doing just that but then again, who am I to say? I guess I'll just have to wait and see where the road takes us...'_

* * *

A/n- Well that was a long chapter- I hope everyone is still with me. I'm trying to get back on my feet with my fanfics. Hope everyone enjoyed!

Please review!


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